Ferrari 488 GTB

Ferrari 488 GTB and Spider information: everything you need to know if you own it, are thinking of buying one or just want to find out more about Ferrari’s junior V8 supercar. Click on the links below for all of CAR magazine’s news, reviews, videos, scoops and spy photos of the 488 sports car range.

Background

The 488 replaces the 458 Italia family in Maranello’s stable - it’s the cheapest V8 in its range and aimed squarely at the likes of the Lamborghini Huracan and McLarne 650S. Choose from GTB berlinetta coupe and Spider convertible bodystyles, but only one engine (for now - go-faster ‘Speciale’ models are in development). For more information on the Ferrari 488, click on our further stories on the links below at the foot of this page.

60sec road test

This car had the hardest job in motordom: replace the sublime 458 Italia, the best Ferrari of the modern age, many would say. And - gulp - they chose to make it turbocharged, in the name of trimming CO2 and its appetite for unleaded fuel. In its place comes the twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre bent eight, developing a decidedly unhinged 661bhp at a thankfully-still-high 8000rpm. And note the stout torque curve: 561lb ft all the way from 3000rpm to high up the rev range. Predictably, the results are stonkingly fast: 0-62mph is claimed in three seconds dead, and you’ll brush 206mph at the top end - all the while supping fuel at 25mpg and spewing out 260g/km (if you’ve fitted the Ferrari HELE start-stop system). But get real; you don’t buy a Ferrari V8 to pussy-foot around in, and those economy claims are shot down the moment you rev out the twin-turbo V8. Is it a great Ferrari? For sure. Is it better than a 458? That we’re less certain about. Sledgehammer performance is guaranteed, but we fear the forced induction has throttled some of the inherent Ferrari appeal. It’s still a fun steer though, with scalpel-like handling and a playfulness that you may not find in a four-wheel drive Lambo rival. It's so agile, so clever, so damn fast - not to mention good-looking - that it's hard not to fall for the 488 GTB's charms.